Electric Cars
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Microlino, the maker of scooters and kickboards is ready to launch an electric microcar in Europe. Run by two Swiss brothers, the company unveiled its recreation of the tiny single-door BMW Isetta at the Geneva auto show two years ago, and has now partnered with with boutique Italian coachmaker Tazzari to build up to 10,000 copies of the car a year. At a price of $13,600, Microlino says it already has 7,200 orders for the car. Microlino's design stays pretty true to the original Isetta, with a single hinged door at the front, with the steering column attached. Once the driver tucks into the...
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Tesla troubles, best deals, and time running out on VW diesels: The Week in ReverseWho disputed EPA findings that less fuel-efficient cars will be safer? What did a second whistleblower at Tesla's Gigafactory allege? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending August 17, 2018. Friday, another whistleblower came...
Eric C. Evarts -
Opinion: Tesla's CEO needs help, but will he take it?Just as Tesla is beginning to straighten out manufacturing problems with its Model 3, the executive suite seems in the midst of a nuclear meltdown. In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times on Thursday, CEO Elon Musk admitted to being spread thin, having the most difficult and painful...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla whistle-blowers, fuel-cells, and Musk interview, time for relief? Today's Car NewsThe news Friday was almost all Tesla, all the time. CEO Elon Musk granted an exclusive interview to The New York Times in which he said his tweet about taking the company private was not vetted by others. Meanwhile, one whistleblower came forward with drug-dealing allegations at the Gigafactory and...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla board reportedly seeking No. 2 executive to assist Elon MuskOn Thursday, The New York Times published an interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk that revealed that the company's board may looking for a new operational leader for the company. In the wide-ranging interview, Musk acknowledged that his tweet last week about having "funding secured" to take Tesla...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla faces more whistleblower allegations from a second former employeeA second employee at Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada has filed for whistleblower protection, alleging that the company covered up an investigation into drug trafficking at the factory. The latest report was first carried by Jalopnik. The latest whistleblower, Karl Hansen, worked in the automaker's...
Eric C. Evarts -
Here at Green Car Reports we hear—even attract—a lot of controversy when we report on fuel-cell vehicles. Many our readers argue vociferously that the only green cars run on batteries alone—no, thank you, to range-extending gas engines, either. Others seem to hold out for the hydrogen economy, with cars that can go more than 300 miles on a five-minute fill-up and use purely renewable energy from water—however far off that future might be. So when we came across an old study from the University of California, Irvine, that compares the environmental impact of both...
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Tesla privatization bid, quality control face increasing scrutinyTesla CEO Elon Musk is facing mounting pressure from regulators and critics since his tweet last week to take the company private and the fallout that has followed. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday (subscription required) that Tesla's board has received subpoenas from the Securities and...
Eric C. Evarts -
Best deals on hybrid, plug-in and electric cars for August 2018This month, green-car buyers can find some screaming deals. These aren't just local programs or restricted to California buyers, either. As always, our list of deals comes from our partners at CarsDirect. This month, they have focused on deals available nationwide and on cars that are more shoppers...
Eric C. Evarts -
Chevy Bolt EV road trip, GM patents, charger disruptions, resources report: Today's Car NewsGM files patents for three new active aerodynamic aids. A reader's family finds enough charging outlets to make a 2,000-mile road trip in a Chevy Bolt EV. Our readers report they often find electric-car chargers that don't work. And a report draws some surprising conclusions about electric cars'...
Eric C. Evarts -
Report: Rising electric-car production may strain unexpected resourcesDespite electric cars producing no tailpipe emissions, not all of their effects will be environmentally beneficial, according to a recent report by McKinsey & Co. The group, which is often optimistic about electric car adoption, forecasts that by 2030, plug-in cars will make up at least 20...
Eric C. Evarts -
Twitter poll results: How often do you encounter a public electric-car charger that is out of order?Earlier this summer, we began investigating our Twitter followers' experiences with public electric-car chargers in our weekly polls. In June, we learned that more electric cars get charged at work than at public chargers. Last month, we learned that the type of public charger that electric-car...
Eric C. Evarts -
We get our first chance to ride in Audi's new electric e-tron SUV. Chinese electric carmaker NIO plans to start its expansion in the U.S. by raising money. We look at why fuel-economy standards don't need be loosened to keep cars safer, and we ask followers for their back-to-school thoughts in our latest Twitter poll. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Audi took us for a ride down Pikes Peak in Colorado to demonstrate the impressive regenerative braking in its new electric e-tron SUV prototype. The company will begin taking orders for the car next month. Chinese electric carmaker Nio...
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2019 Audi e-tron prototype first ride: Soothingly familiarAt 5 o’clock in the morning, the only sound heard at the summit of Pikes Peak, 14,114 feet above sea level, is the ceaseless whipping of the wind. Inside the Audi e-tron electric crossover SUV prototype, I hear almost no sound at all. Silence, like the e-tron itself, is soothingly familiar...
Andrew Ganz -
Chinese electric carmaker Nio seeks public funding in USChinese electric carmaker Nio has filed for an initial public offering to sell its stock in the U.S., according to a Reuters report Tuesday. The company, which has built a Formula E race car, an exotic electric sports car, and an electric SUV for China, is looking to ramp up production and build a...
Eric C. Evarts -
What plug-in car would you send your kids back to school in? Take our Twitter pollKids are getting ready to go back to school and many will need wheels. Yet many environmentally conscious youngsters—and parents—may no longer accept a gas-burning machine, or at least not one that has to burn gas everywhere it goes. Last week, we suggested seven plug-in cars that would...
Eric C. Evarts -
VW TDI claims, more Tesla details, "Jetstones" promote electric cars: Today's Car NewsThe VW TDI settlement nears completion. Elon Musk reveals more details about his privatization plan for Tesla. And Electrify America rolls out the "Jetstones" to promote electric cars. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Owners of 2.0-liter VW TDI models have until Sept. 1 to file for...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reveals talks with Saudi fund to take Tesla private, others express doubtIn a public letter to investors Monday morning, Tesla CEO Elon Musk expanded on details of his plan to take the company private. Musk announced Aug. 4 on Twitter that he was considering a privatization plan and had funding "secured." In the letter Monday, he revealed that he has been in discussions...
Eric C. Evarts -
If regular automakers aren't advertising their electric cars well enough, maybe purveyors of electric-car infrastructure can fill in the gaps. Electrify America, VW's court-mandated effort to build a nationwide DC fast-charge network, is launching its first ad campaign Monday on behalf of all electric cars. Called the "Jetstones," the ad campaign contrasts the stone-age Flintstones cartoon characters with the futuristic family in the (now almost equally old) Jetsons cartoon. READ THIS: Electrify America switches on the first 350-kw Fast Charging station in Chicopee, Mass. The Flintstones...
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Canadian gold mine cleans up its act with electricityMining operations get a lot of flack for creating environmental problems around the world. Yet they provide much of the basic material that keeps the global economy humming. Some mining companies are drilling down in their efforts to clean up their acts. As the world’s fourth-largest gold...
Green Car Reports -
Taking Tesla private, Autopilot testing, Mazda CX-5 diesel, Nissan Leaf batteries: The Week in ReverseWhich company got a new diesel approved for U.S. sale? What new feature did the IIHS test? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending Aug. 10, 2018. Friday, we reported on the IIHS tests of self-driving systems, including two...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla builds Supercharging "moat" to keep out competition: analysisCompetitors are coming for Tesla. Just as the young company begins to ramp up production of its bread-and-butter Model 3 to what CEO Elon Musk has called sustainable levels, Tesla's European rivals are beginning to roll out their own electric cars. That has some investors worried about whether the...
Eric C. Evarts -
Beyond the federal tax credit: a guide to clean-car incentivesThe king of all financial incentives for plug-in cars is, of course, the federal tax credit of up to $7,500. It’s not the only one, though. With Tesla’s federal tax credit already on its way to expiring and GM’s close behind, it’s worth knowing where to look for other...
Green Car Reports -
IIHS: Self-driving systems aren't that, and aren't ready for prime timeSelf-driving systems aren't ready for prime time, says a new report by IIHS. The Institute tested five cars: two Teslas, a BMW, a Mercedes-Benz, and a Volvo, all with systems that earned top marks in its tests of advanced driver safety aids. In new tests on its track and on public roads, all of the...
Eric C. Evarts